Breakfast recommendations:
Jack & Benny’s is a good option, especially if you want breakfast a la Nancy’s. Granted, the atmosphere is nowhere nearly as good, but I’ve never had a bad breakfast at J & B’s. They have omelets, pancakes, French toast—all the standard diner offerings. I like the pancakes, and they usually have six or seven flavors to choose from, listed on a board above the booths. The apple cinnamon and chocolate chip ones are especially delicious. It’s also only two or three blocks away from Nancy’s. I would warn you about Jack & Benny’s waits, however, which can be horrific on a weekend when hungry college students wait for hours. A weekday wait shouldn’t be too bad, and I suppose if you got up early enough on a weekend you could beat the sleepy college students.
Jack & Benny’s
2563 N High St
Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 263-0242
Northstar is a good, albeit pretty expensive option. It opens at 9 am, has two locations (Clintonville on the north side of Columbus, and the Short North just north of downtown), and is part of the organic local movement. And it’s probably why they can justify charging 8.50 for granola, yogurt, and fruit, and 9.50 for super fluffy ricotta pancakes. It might be the polar opposite of the Nancy’s/Jack & Benny’s experience.
Clintonville Northstar
4215 N High St
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 784-2233
Short North Northstar
951 N High St
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 298-9999
I just recalled that Der Dutchman has breakfast, and it’s pretty good Amish home cooking northwest of Columbus. I don’t know how out of your way you want to go—I wouldn’t think it remarkable enough to go too far, unless you really want to get some Amish/Mennonite goods, in which case, it’s a good place to pick up some pie and apple butter. Very good broasted chicken, too. (I can’t really describe what “broasted” means, it’s almost the equivalent of fried, but it’s a different cooking technique)
Der Dutchman
445 S Jefferson Ave,
Plain City, OH 43064
(614) 873-3414
The final breakfast suggestion I’m going to make is for somewhere I’ve never been for breakfast, but is almost surely a good bet. That would be Creole Kitchen, which sits in the shadows of a giant apartment complex in a sort of hidden strip mall. It’s on the city’s near east side in a historically black neighborhood called King-Lincoln, and it’s recently garnered attention for the renovation and opening of a long-closed theatre. That said, I wouldn’t worry about too much of a wait for breakfast. They offer beignets, creole eggs, and even fish and grits and eggs. The reason why I can assure you that it’s going to be good is because the other meals I’ve had here have been tremendous. They open at 7 AM for breakfast, and it’s very important to note that it’s only takeout.
If you can’t make it to Creole Kitchen for breakfast, I would highly recommend going for lunch or dinner. The meals feel like they were made in a gourmet restaurant, yet they’re eaten out of a Styrofoam box. They offer super rich etouffee, inexpensive and delicious po’ boys, perfectly blackened whiting and chicken, and wonderfully flavorful gumbo. The value is tremendous—I went a few months back, got half a chicken, creamy and delicious green beans and rice for a 4 dollar lunch special. The desserts are worth getting too—peach cobbler and brown sugar pound cake are not too sweet but very tasty, and the bread pudding is very rich with a complex syrupy sauce accompanying it. It’s definitely one of the hidden treasures in Columbus
Creole Kitchen
1052 Mt. Vernon Plaza
Columbus, Ohio 43203
614.372.3333
As far as other suggestions go, I would point you to favorites I’ve already posted about—the chicken shawarma at Nazareth Deli is excellent, El Arepazo cooks up some tasty Venezuelan and Colombian downtown, Indochine Café has excellent pho, beef and pork over rice/noodles, and chicken wings out on the city’s east side, and the city’s west side has a multitude of good Mexican options. If you’re looking for unique options, one would be Thurman’s Café in German Village (south of downtown) for its famous burgers, including the Thurmanator, a two pound behemoth of meat and cheese. Columbus sports a few coney dog places that would be hard to find unless you go to the Cincinnati area, and our Somali population is pretty significant, although I have yet to find a really outstanding Somali restaurant. I can’t really speak for the area around Gambier, besides that it really is a sleepy little village that is hard to separate from Kenyon. If there’s anything more specific you’re looking for, I can try and point you in the right direction.
I went to Nancy's this morning- as good as it's ever been, but sadly, no indication that they'll stay open.
All the best,
T Kent